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warplane

American

[wawr-pleyn] / ˈwɔrˌpleɪn /

noun

an airplane designed for, or used in, warfare.

warplane British

/ ˈwɔːˌpleɪn /

noun

Also called (US): battle plane. any aircraft designed for and used in warfare

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of warplane

First recorded in 1910–15; war ¹ + plane ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last month, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could mobilize a military response if China tried to seize Taiwan, Beijing responded with angry statements and warplane sorties.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

The convoy took off, accompanied by two helicopters — one of them a Black Hawk — and a T-6 Texan warplane.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025

Mykhailo detects a Russian warplane in the skies.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025

Thursday’s flight marked at least the third time he got in a cockpit of a warplane.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024

And an old warplane that kids could investigate.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023